Prime Minister Najb Mikati and Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib denounced in a joint statement the incident involving the Irish battalion of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon without giving further details.
However, it would be an incident between the blue helmets and the inhabitants of the locality of Shaqra near the locality of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon. The latter would thus have cobbled the convoy of the Irish contingent of UNIFIL after the latter had taken pictures.
The Lebanese authorities are thus awaiting the outcome of the ongoing investigation, indicating that they will not accept “any form of aggression against UNIFIL forces” and reiterate their attachment to “the security of UNIFIL, in particular of the battalion. Irish, who is one of the forces which have continued to serve in southern Lebanon since the establishment of UNIFIL and which continues to play an important role in maintaining the security and stability of southern Lebanon. ”
Also, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalls the efforts made by Ireland to renew the mandate of UNIFIL before the UN Security Council, an institution which supports the Lebanese army within the framework of resolution 2591 adopted in 2021 and within the framework of resolution 1701, still of the UN Security Council.
